Defamation a film on antisemitism by Yoav Shamir

From: J-dog
Category: Art
Date: 13 January 2010
Time: 08:23 AM
Review:
http://www.defamation-thefilm.com/html/home_english.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2010/jan/13/survivors-simon-schama-defamation
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/defamation/4od#3022029
The film by a Yoav Shamir, an Israeli, set out to question whether antisemitism was still a problem
and whether the Israel State uses it for political purposes. The film was involving and entertaining for
its two hour length.
Shamir seemed to conclude that antisemitism was used to create Israeli and a wider Jewish
indentity, or at least to preclude criticism of Israel's relationship with Palestinians. I think that it seems
obvious that Israeli and Jewish identity is to a certain extent based on the Holocaust and the history of
persecution that Jews have faced, how could it not be. Shamir's hope that Jews can move on to an
identity based on a less negative history can only probably come through the passing of time. It is
also true that Israeli politicians rightfully and wrongfully use the Holocaust to justify their actions.
Wrong when they say all their actions (bad treatment of Palestinians) are justified by Jewish History,
right when they say the tragedy of the Holocaust is integral to the Jewish state's creation.
However Shamir's other conclusion that antisemitism is now merely a creation of Jewish interest
groups and not a problem was both stupid and dangerous and will gratefully embraced by
antisemites everywhere. Three of the only non-Jews he spoke to, some young black people in New
York, told him the Jews controlled the world and that "The Protocols of Zion" proved it.
The "Protocols" being a famous 19th century antisemitic creation, often quoted by the Nazis. He
didn't seem to find it at all odd that people were still referring to it, or how, or why, such antisemitic
propaganda was still being distributed and by whom. He didn't bother asking any more non-Jews for
their opinions on Jews, and dismissed a Polish statuette of a stereotypical Jew with a bag of money
as nothing to worry about.
Antisemitism, like racism, is the idea that people's qualities stem from their ethnicity rather than their
characters or individuality. It therefore would have made sense for Shamir to find out whether people
still had prejudices against Jews by talking to non-Jews or looking at how Jews are portrayed in the
media, rather than going round with lots of Jews and deciding they are paranoid and making it all up
for their own ends. That conclusion was based on no evidence whatsoever and in the end would
seem rather antisemitic.